Some observations compiled during the Terrapin football team’s 37-3 loss against Florida State…
-This game didn’t exactly go as planned.
-The Seminoles did not tackle well early on the Terps’ opening drive. Lansford Watson would have been wrapped up after about a two-yard gain on 3rd-and-2, and he turned it into 32 yard gain. Interesting attempt at trickeration two plays after Watson’s catch. Quarterback Chris Turner threw a lateral to Danny Oquendo, who threw a pass back to Turner on the other side of the field. Turner was open but he couldn’t make the catch. The Terps were eventually forced to punt.
-Obi Egekeze missed a 45-yard field goal wide right on the Terps’ second drive. On a night as cold as tonight, kicking the football is probably like trying to kick a rock.
(The botched trick play and missed field goal turned out to be a sign of things to come)
-Dave Philistin saved a touchdown by making a diving tackle on Seminole quarterback Christian Ponder who was running an option late in the first quarter. The Seminoles had a lot of room to run up the middle on that drive, and eventually ended up scoring on a 7-yard pass to Preston Parker to make it 7-0.
-Chris Turner underthrew Darrius Heyward-Bey on the Terps’ first offensive play after Parker’s touchdown. Turner hasn’t looked as sharp as in recent weeks. He’s been rushed and knocked around by the Seminoles.
-Da’Rel Scott got stripped cleanly and Seminole linebacker Derek Nicholson returned it 22 yards for a touchdown to make it 14-0 early in the second quarter. It started looking then like the Terps were destined for another letdown. Turner throwing a pick on a tipped pass on the next possession didn’t instill any confidence either.
-Linebacker Alex Wujciak is playing an excellent game for the Terps. He’s making big tackles, knocking down passes, and keeping the defense fired up.
-Myron Rolle just trotted onto the field with about six minutes left in the second quarter. He won a Rhodes Scholarship earlier in the day. You may have read about that.
-It looked like the Terps were onto something when they were driving shortly before the half, but Turner threw into triple coverage and was picked off by Toddrick Verdell. Antone Smith’s 1-yard touchdown run a few plays later made it 21-0 and had several cold fans heading for the exit.
-An eight-minute drive ending in a short field goal to start the second half didn’t help the Terps’ attempt to come back.
-Da’Rel Scott’s 41-yard run late in the third quarter was the Terps’ first positive play in a long time, and it was probably their last hope to really get back in the game. They needed more than the 34-yard field goal they settled for.
-The crowd has seriously thinned out by the start of the fourth quarter. When Scott fumbled again with 13:19 left, thousands more poured toward the exits.
-This game was a disaster from beginning to end. What could have been a magical night turned into a depressing, premature end to anything meaningful in an up-and-down season. All that’s left now is another mediocre bowl game.